"Down the Hatch!" Another B-52 bites the dust! "Bottoms up!" Anyone for a Sex on the Beach? "Bonzai!" It's a Kamikaze! Just what is going on here? Welcome to the wacky world of shooters--the hottest craze to hit the bar scene in years.
Gone are the days when a shot was 2 ounces of straight whiskey knocked back in a single swallow. (Remember the saloon scenes in those dusty old Westerns?) Shooters, slammers, and tooters, tagged with usually fanciful names, are concocted with virtually any spirit and mixer handy in a well-stocked bar.
The raging popularity of shooters is attributable partly to the fact that many are fairly low in alcohol content, appealing to the lighter tastes of today's young adults. Frequently made with several juices, as well as lower-proof liqueurs, the small size of the shooter limits the amount of spirit contained in a single drink. Some, like the Rattlesnake, are skillfully layered works of art, similar to a pousse cafe. Others, like the Bloody Caesar, incorporate surprising ingredients such as clams or oysters.
Mostly, however, shooters are fun. As colorful and creative as their sometimes bizarre names, shooters not only taste good, but have become integral to unique and entertaining promotions in bars around the country, many of which have developed signature drinks and themed libations for special occasions. These are often made up in large batches, rather than by individual servings.
Another appealing feature of this latest drink sensation is the often innovative glassware in which they're served, such as shot glasses ranging in shape from cowboy boots to animals, like bears and hogs. There are even shot glasses that can be worn on a string like a necklace. Perhaps the most original development in this phenomenon, however, is the "tooter" a test tube shaped glass. Racked just like the laboratory test tubes you remember from chemistry class, tooters filled with colorful concoctions (sometimes complete with mini garnishes) make appetite-appealing displays. There are special server trays, too, including holsters resembling old Western gun belts, where the tooter tubes are secured in small loops not unlike those that held extra bullets (a creative approach no doubt inspired by the "shooter" name).
Of course, the granddaddy of shooters--a lick of salt, washed down with a shot of straight tequila, followed by a suck on a wedge of lime and the obligatory shudder--is not only still around and kicking energetically, but has inspired similar drinks like the Lemon Drop and the Cordless Screwdriver.
Following, you'll find recipes for all the drinks already mentioned, plus a multitude of others. Remember, though, that one of the most fun things about shooters is that their composition is limitedd only by your own creativity. So go ahead, experiment--continue below and have a ball--a Melonball that is!
Stir with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass. Add lemon juice.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Float cream and insert toothpick in cherry and put on top. Use cordial glass.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
In shot glass, pour carefully, in order given, so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.
Put the clam in the bottom of a shot glass. Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and horseradish. Add vodka and tomato juice. Sprinkle with celery salt and garnish with a small lime wedge.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Chill vodka and strain into shot glass. Dip orange wedge in sugar. To drink, shoot the vodka and immediately take a draw on the orange.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Stir with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial or shot glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass. Makes 2 servings.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass. Makes 2 servings.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.
Chill vodka and strain into shot glass. Dip lemon wedge in sugar. To drink, shoot the vodka and immediately draw on the lemon.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Shake with ice and strain into chilled shot glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Shake with ice and strain into chilled shot glass.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial or shot glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Combine in blender or shake well with cracked ice and strain into cordial glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cordial or shot glass. Top with cranberry juice.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cordial glass.
Pour sambuca into cordial glass. Float Irish cream on top of sambuca. Carefully pour black raspberry liqueur, drop by drop, as top layer. The raspberry liqueur will pull the Irish cream through the sambuca and will settle on the bottom.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Stir with ice and strain into shot glass.
Pour carefully, in order given, into cordial glass so that each ingredient floats on the preceeding without mixing.
Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.